1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to steam baths, steam showers and steam rooms and more particularly to a steam head which protrudes from a vertical wall.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For the purposes of comfort, health, hygiene and relaxation, many people desire and enjoy exposure to steam. To this end, there are steam baths, steam showers, steam rooms and other enclosures for containing steam in order to allow people to enjoy the benefits of steam exposure. The steam is often introduced into the enclosure via a steam head protruding from a vertical wall of the enclosure. Usually the steam is in the form of hot, vaporized water. However, other types of steam are sometimes used. For instance, vaporized water can imbued with fragrant or essential oils in order to produce steam for a medicinal practice called "Aromatherapy."
As it cools, steam will condense to form liquid condensate. However, even the condensate may have a temperature which exceeds normal room temperatures. Both the steam and condensate tend to have especially high temperatures in the vicinity of the steam head. For this reason there are devices, called steam shields, for partially enclosing the steam head so that occupants of the enclosure will not come into contact with the hottest steam or condensate.
Because the steam and condensate can be hot, enclosures for containing steam have conventionally been made from highly heat resistant materials such as cast iron or ceramic tiles. However, for some applications the walls of the enclosure are more optimally formed of materials with a somewhat lower heat resistance such as certain types of plastic-based materials.
While enclosure materials with a somewhat lower heat resistance may be able to withstand the heat from the steam and condensate over most of the enclosure area, these types of enclosures are more susceptible to problems, such as thermal cracking or discoloration, in the vicinity of the steam head, where the steam and condensate are especially hot. This problem can sometimes be aggravated by a steam shield because the steam shield may direct the flow of hot steam and/or condensate toward the enclosure wall in the vicinity of the steam head.